Boy Banned by R.J. Scott

Title: Boy Banned
Author: R.J. Scott
Publisher: Love Lane Books Limited
Release Date: May 27th 2016
Genre(s): New Adult
Page Count: 380 pages
Reviewed by: Lili
Heat Level: 2 flames out of 5
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Blurb:

When the only way to win is to hide who you are, how far are you prepared to go?

Reuben “Angel” Jacobs is one step away from giving it all up. Losing a place in the live finals of Sing UK almost kills him. He has no choice but to go home and work for the family business, even though it means giving up his dreams and proving his old bullies right.

Corey Dixon is a rocker at heart. Being on the spectrum means that making sense of other people’s ‘normal’ is hard in itself, let alone in the chaos of a high-powered competition. Singing is his safe space, the only way he can think through the noise in his head. Messing up his audition for the live shows means his journey is over, and it’s the worst day of his life.

The judges throw them a lifeline and create a boy band from the near-miss hopefuls. Angel, Corey, and three others are put together in a room and offered the chance to sing as a group. Agreeing to become part of the new band means Corey has to hide who he is and what Angel has come to mean to him.

Is winning worth the price Corey and Angel have to pay?

Boy Banned by RJ Scott takes to the behind the scenes world of reality shows and singing competitions. Angel and Corey are two of five contestants who are given a second chance at staying in the contest, but there’s a catch: they must stay together as a group. Corey and Angel are the most skeptical that being in a group seeing as they are all so different but there’s also the added attraction they feel for each other that could pose a problem.

This past couple of weeks I’ve been making it a point to try new authors and RJ Scott was one I’ve wanted to try. I was pleased with what I read as this story had quite a bit going for it.

-Engaging characters.
-The plot. I enjoyed how the author handled the singing contest. It wasn’t over the top drama and didn’t solely focus on Corey and Angel. It was about the whole group.
-The romance. It was sweet and paced nicely to match the characters and their situation realistically.

Spoiler

Corey’s autism was handled with realism and care.

My only quibbles:
I won’t lie I would’ve enjoyed a bit more steam, and the book did feel a bit long but not overly so.

All in all, this was a solid read! If you enjoy books about reality shows with a slow burn romance then this one is for you! 4 Stars.

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